


Roses Are Red

by nerdwegian



Series: Tumblr Prompts [17]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Love Letters, M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-21
Updated: 2014-05-21
Packaged: 2018-01-25 23:23:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1666289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdwegian/pseuds/nerdwegian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce squints at the letter in his hand, removes his glasses and squints again, before putting them back on his face. The letter still says the same thing it did two minutes ago.</p>
<p>(Tumblr prompt: Bruce/Tony, love letters.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Roses Are Red

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Laura for the beta! <3

Bruce squints at the letter in his hand, removes his glasses and squints again, before putting them back on his face. The letter still says the same thing it did two minutes ago.

Frowning, he picks up the phone and calls Tracy, his contact in Dallas.

"Tracy, I got a letter and I, uh, I think there's been a mistake?"

"Oh, good, you got it!" Tracy chirps. "I was going to call you but we've been pretty busy, as I'm sure you can imagine."

Bruce frowns. "So there's no mistake?"

"No, isn't it wonderful?" Tracy's voice has taken on a squeaky quality that's giving Bruce a headache. "This donation will keep our research going for years!"

Bruce stares at all the zeroes on the paper. "Who made the donation?" he asks, already suspicious.

Tracy makes a clucking sound with her tongue, but doesn't actually sound like she cares at all when she says, "We don't know! It was completely anonymous--but our lawyers have already looked it over and assured us it's on the up and up!"

Bruce feels faint, and he's glad he's already sitting down. "Thanks, Tracy."

He hangs up the phone and tries to wrap his mind around the situation. That's a whole lot of money.

*

Two weeks later, Bruce is checking in at the airport, when the lady behind the counter smiles pleasantly at him and says, "Enjoy First Class, Dr. Banner."

Bruce fumbles with his passport. Airports aren't among his favorite places to begin with, and it doesn't help matters that this is only the third time he's been able to travel under his own name and passport again since--

Since.

So unexpected turns of events tend to make him wary.

"I didn't book First Class," he says carefully.

The lady shrugs and holds out the tickets towards him. "Well, someone upgraded you a week ago, Dr. Banner. It's already been paid for. I hope you have a pleasant flight."

Bruce considers. "Can I downgrade back to Economy?"

The lady looks a little confused, but keeps her smile politely in place. "I--think we can manage it, provided there are seats left in Economy class?"

She doesn't sound completely sure why anyone would want to, so Bruce rubs a tired hand across his face and shakes his head. "Nah, you know, it's--it's fine," he says. First Class. He's never flown First Class. He supposes it wouldn't hurt to get some extra space. The less stress the better.

Bruce takes the tickets and gives her a small smile. "Thanks."

*

A week after he returns from Seoul, he has lunch in Manhattan--by himself, by choice--and finds that someone has already paid for his meal by the time he asks for the check.

"Oh, come on," Bruce groans, putting his head down on the table.

"Uh, sir, are you okay?" the waiter asks, sounding unsure and confused.

"I'm fine," Bruce says into the table. "Just--I'm fine."

He waits until he's back on the street before calling Tony.

"You've reached 1-800-STARKED," Tony says when he answers the phone, "what'll be your pleasure today, stud?"

"Tony," Bruce sighs, "what are you doing?"

There's a brief pause, barely noticeable unless you know Tony, which Bruce does by now. "What do you mean what am I doing? I don't know, what am I doing? I'm creating shit, I'm working, I'm busy being a genius when I'm not being interrupted by confusing phone calls--"

"Tony," Bruce repeats. "Seriously. Stop paying for my shit. You can't just _buy_ me."

There's a longer pause. "I know," Tony says eventually, sounding a little hurt.

Bruce considers what to say next. "I did appreciate the donation to my research, though," he eventually settles on, because he _is_ grateful for that.

Tony makes a dismissive sound. "Wasn't anything. Don't worry about it."

"Okay," Bruce agrees. "No more, though."

Tony grunts in what sounds like agreement, then changes the subject. "We still on for lunch tomorrow?"

"I'm buying," Bruce says firmly.

*

"So, hi," Tony says from behind unusually dark sunglasses, when Bruce sits down at his table.

"Hi," Bruce says, smiling without even thinking about it, because even if Tony is unbelievably frustrating sometimes, he's still Tony.

"You're buying?" Tony asks, corner of his mouth twitching a little, as if he wants to smile widely, but can't bring himself to.

"I'm buying," Bruce confirms. "It's not that I don't appreciate it, Tony, it's just--I'm not comfortable with it. And I'm not for sale. You don't have to _bribe_ me to keep me around."

Tony squirms a little in his chair, before suddenly handing over a napkin with an abrupt, jerky movement. "Here."

Bruce frowns at the napkin, and immediately recognizes Tony's chicken scratch. He must have written it while waiting for Bruce.

The napkin reads:

_Roses are red_  
violets are blue  
I buy you shit because I'm terrible at love letters  
Date me? 

Bruce blinks and stares and blinks again.

Across the table, Tony's head is turning this way and that way, but his eyes could be anywhere; Bruce doesn't know since the sunglasses make it impossible to tell.

For a long moment, Bruce considers how to respond, but when Tony's head turns again, he reaches out and takes Tony's hand on autopilot. "Hey," Bruce says, smiling. "You don't have to bribe me to date me, either."

Tony's head stops swiveling around then, and for a long moment he's still. Then a tentative smile spreads across his face and he reaches up to remove his sunglasses. Bruce tightens his grip on Tony's hand.

End.


End file.
